Thoughts from the interface of science, religion, law and culture

After spending several years touring the country as a stand up comedian, Ed Brayton tired of explaining his jokes to small groups of dazed illiterates and turned to writing as the most common outlet for the voices in his head. He has appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show and the Thom Hartmann Show, and is almost certain that he is the only person ever to make fun of Chuck Norris on C-SPAN.

EVENTS

Bryan Fischer Award Nominee: Gail Gitcho

The Bryan Fischer Award is given to those who exhibit psychological projection on a mind-blowing scale. Gail Gitcho, a spokesman for Mitt Romney, gives us a spectacular example of this in an email sent to reporters in Michigan:

All –

If you are reporting on Senator Santorum’s response to the Rasmussen numbers speech today, in which he will reportedly issue desperate and false attacks against Mitt Romney in an attempt to prop up his campaign, please use this quote from me.

“Rick Santorum is a Washington insider who is lashing out at Mitt Romney because he had a terrible debate performance. Back in 2008, Sen. Santorum endorsed Mitt Romney for president because of Mitt’s ‘conservative’ record. Now, Rick’s changed his tune. This sounds like another case of Rick Santorum abandoning his principles for his own political advantage.” – Gail Gitcho, Romney Communications Director

Gail Gitcho
Romney for President
Communications Director

Yes, a spokesman for Mitt Freaking Romney just criticized someone else for abandoning principles for political advantage. Seriously, you can’t make this shit up.

What I also find hilarious is that Michael Warren, who posts a critique of this letter at the linked Weekly Standard article, never addresses the most obvious irony which motivates Ed to publish this blog post. Perhaps to not leave a paper trail for the general election where he or his magazine acknowledges Romney’s demonstrated far worse lack of principles on this matter.

So it’s reasonable and arguably obvious to predict The Weekly Standard will criticize the president in the general for not adhering to his own stated principles. Where they’ll frame their criticisms of the president within a context where Romney’s own defects on this matter are avoided .

I don’t understand why Romney doesn’t run his campaign on a populist message rather than a committed ideologue message. Nobody else is nearly as well posed to say to the populace, “I’ll do whatever the fuck you want. Seriously, I am totally unprincipled. A vote for Romney is a vote for pure democracy!”

That, or he could be running on “Look how bad I fucked up Massachusetts with my liberal ideas! That place is a cesspool, all thanks to me. Don’t you want somebody who learned from his experiences with liberalism!” Fundies love a good conversion story. Just ask Christine “I dabbled in witchcraft” o’Donnell.

To anyone who might want to use this as proof that truth is stranger than fiction, I have an ontological proof to the contrary:
Step 1. Think of the strangest thing that’s true.
Step 2. Now add a monkey dressed as Hitler.